East London - Aldgate East (tube station stop), Brick Lane, Bethnal Grove Road and more

This was my first venture to East London. I had heard about it through Rick Steves' podcast on "Trendy East London", but was not quite prepared for what I saw and experienced there.

I exited the Aldgate East tube stop and turned left to walk down Aldgate Street.  I could immediately see hints of a Muslim neighborhood with signs in another language, speciality grocers, curry houses (restaurants), mosques, and men and women in their Muslim attire (burkas for women, hats and robes for men). Further down Aldgate was the East London mosque with its minarets. I did not walk much further down this street as two men were wrestling on the sidewalk. Time to turn around and head back.

Next I walked down Osborn Street (off of Aldgate) which becomes Brick Lane. Part way down Brick Lane starts "Banglatown" as the locals call it. It is the part of London where many from Bangladesh live. It has the feel of an ethnic neighborhood with signs of streets,shops and restaurants in another language and English. Here is the entrance to this neighborhood.

This below is a view farther down Brick Lane. Not all restaurants are curry houses, as seen by the Italian restaurant seen in the picture.

As I was walking down Brick Lane I found myself behind some tour groups. It was interesting to listen in. I learned that this "Banglatown" used to be a Jewish neighborhood. The only evidence of that now is this one facade.

I also learned from the tour group guides that the dish "Tikka Masala" was an invention of north London, not of Bangladesh. It seems the Brits wanted their chicken with a "gravy", so the sauce was invented. The dish was later exported to India and Bangladesh. Queen Victoria supposedly had a chef from India. She loved his curries.

Further down Brick Lane is the old Truman Brewery called "the Black Eagle". It is noticeable by the walkway above your head. On the left as you pass under the walkway you will see the brewery (through the courtyard and on into the building). I just poked my head in the building. It appears you can visit it.

Here is an example of a street sign on Brick Lane - in English and another language.

On the corner of one of the cross streets of Brick Lane there was a large building. I think it was some sort of Muslim religious center. The sign on it said "Jamme Masjid". 

I stopped for lunch on Brick Lane at one of the many Bangladesh curry houses. This place was called " Aladin's". The owner enticed me in with a pre-set lunch menu of a starter (appetizer), main (course) and rice or naan. I ordered the mixed kebab starter (chicken, lamb pieces and sheek - minced spiced lamb). It came with a mint sauce. Then I ordered the chicken kurma (or korma as we know it in the US). It was delicious. I could really taste minced fresh coconut in the sauce. The basmati rice was called "pilau" and was spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. To drink I had mango juice.

Many accolades were plastered on the walls inside and outside. It appears there is an annual Taste Brick Lane contest and this place was the winner in 2014. Also Prince Charles ate there and liked it.

I asked my waiter about the definition of the word "balti" that was on many restaurant signs and menus. He said balti refers to the process of 24 hour marination of the meat so that it gets tender and absorbs a lot of the marinade flavor. The pot in which the meat is cooked is steel and is called a balti pot. It gets very hot whilst cooking the curry. Balti is not associated with specific ingredients or spices. 

My first exposure to chicken balti was in a pasty in Cornwall. I loved it.

At the corner of Brick Lane and Bethnal Green Road I turned left and went down a street called Redchurch that was at a diagonal. This street has a lot of street art (graffiti).  Off of Redchurch I turned right on a side street and walked down a bit. It is more of a residential area with huge brick buildings containing many apartments. One was called "Spitalfield Housing Cooperative". Here is another housing development called "Henley House".

I then headed back towards Brick Lane. Before returning down that lane I headed down Bethnal Green Road past Brick Lane. I passed a store front with a sign "Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium". I thought it might be a souvenir shop. I kept walking. On the way back to Brick Lane that store caught my eye again. There were real cats in the front window on a cat tower. I looked in and could not tell what this place was. There were a few people seated in a small room. I thought it was a meeting of some sort (maybe for a cat adoption agency).  The next room down had the sign and I peeked in. It looked like a place to have a cup of tea. I went back to look at the cats. Someone inside was playing with one.

When I got home I looked up the place on the Internet. It is indeed a tea house that also cares for rescue cats. Here is the website for the tea house - www.ladydinahs.com. They also have a Facebook page. Next time I will have to go inside. Here are some photos.

I then headed back down Brick Lane to Aldgate East tube stop.

This is an area of London worth exploring. Before I go back there I want to read about its history.